Genshin Impact: Mondstadt Alter
Prologue
"Storm is coming. We should get going now, dear." A woman advised from a distance.
The sky was getting darker, a rumble could be heard, and the air humidity rose gradually as the wind blew strong. A woman stands near grapevines while the other figures on the other side were there doing business with the people from Dawn Winery. The road from Dawn Winery to Mondstadt is by any means not that far, but making a trip when it storms is never a wise decision.
"Just a minute!" A man answered while he was carrying a wooden box. "These boxes are the last, Connor. Please check them." He huffed after he put down a wooden box, and a boy followed him from behind brought a small wooden box, and then put it down beside.
"No problem." Connor takes out a notebook and then examines the goods. After crosschecking his note, Connor looked at the man and said, "Alright. Everything I ordered is here, so here is the fee. Thank you for making your way here. I could've sent Ernest to pick them up, but he's sick today."
"It's alright. It wasn't a bad idea to take a trip with my family once in a while." The man said as he patted the boy's head.
"I see. The storm would come anytime soon. How about you take shelter here? It's dangerous making your way back when there's a storm. At least wait until the storm passes." Connor offered the man with a concerned expression.
"Dear, are you done yet?" The woman called the man again. She sounded impatient due to the storm coming.
"Yeah!" He shouted. "I appreciate your offer, but there's something that my wife and I had to do back in the city. Send my regards to Master Crepus." He said that as he turned his back from Connor with his son and walked away. Connor raised his hand in the air, telling them to be careful on their way back.
"You took too much time!" She yelled at him.
"Haha, my bad, my bad." He chuckled as he scratched his head. "Let's go, shall we? I don't want my pretty wife and my son to catch a cold."
The woman was caught off guard hearing the man's words. The surrounding area was dark, but you could see her blushing. "Hmph! I'm sure the storm will happen on the way even if we go now." She retorted as she walked away. She's cute.
She's right, by the way. The storm could happen any minute. Although they ride a wagon and it might protect them from the rain and strong wind, the danger from another factor is something they should consider too. Yet, they still insisted to go.
"We got my proud of and strong wagon. There's nothing to worry about the storm!" The man proudly said and added, "Even if there's danger on our way back, we can just run. Hahaha!" The woman can only sigh seeing the man's antics.
They hopped on the wagon and started to head back to the city. Since the short route is temporarily blocked, they have no choice but to take the long route, which is close to the Wolvendom, a dark and dangerous woodland where a wolf pack and monsters are roaming. When it's daytime, there's only a tiny chance for monsters to attack people. As for wolfs, they will leave you alone as long as you don't wander in their territory. To prevent unwanted events happen, a few patrols from Knights of Favonius are also there to keep the situation clear.
In the middle of their way back, the dark clouds gathered as the rain started pouring down, and the visibility range was reduced due to the fog. No sound was heard, except for the sound of rain falling. It was quiet.
"It's bad weather, isn't it?" The boy broke the silence.
"Yeah, if it somehow gets worse, we should stop somewhere. It's not a good idea if we keep moving forward in this weather."
"I thought you have an urgent matter in the city? Did Seamus-" The woman immediately glared at him. "Did the Seneschal needs something from you?"
"Rather, the Seneschal asked all sisters to be present today. He said he wants to discuss something important."
"But, it's Sunday. Can he at least arrange it for another day? And why did you not tell me about it?"
"I told you that I forgot, dummy. I'm not sure why he picked today. But since he said it was important, there must be a reason." The woman explained.
The man hummed after hearing that, still looking straight to the road. Another silence fell upon them. After a while, they arrived at Drunkard Gorge. A popular route for merchant caravans, and you can find some people set up their stalls there to earn a few mora.
"The air here makes me shiver, is it just me or is it just too quiet here?" The woman asked as she rubbed her arms.
"It's just the weather that makes the air here feels chill. Although, something doesn't feel right…" He mumbled the last part.
"What is it? Do you happen to see something unusual?"
"Kind of. I just don't see anyone here, that's strange…"
"Probably they went home already? There's no point staying here trying to sell their goods, knowing only a few to none pass this way in this weather, right?" The woman remarked.
The man shakes his head. "I don't think that's the case, can't you see over there?" The man pointed at the stalls on both sides of the road while his other hand held still the rein. Near each stall, a bunch of boxes and sacks filled with goods can be seen. The woman wonders what's wrong with that.
"Do you think these merchants here are that stupid by leaving their goods behind, and not even bothered to cover them or bring them back with them?" The man explained as he slowed down the wagon. "Something is not right…" His voice sounds heavier than before, he looked left and right. Trying to remain vigilant until…
"Dad, isn't that a person?" Being silent for a while, the boy spoke again as he pointed in a certain direction.
From their distance, a man dressed in a black coat is crouching near a stall doing something. As they can't see clearly their figure, the man decides to stop the wagon and drop off the wagon.
"I'm going to ask him. Stay here and don't go anywhere!"
"Be careful, dear." The woman anxiously reminds him to stay cautious. He nodded and ran through the rain covering his head with his hands.
Approaching the figure slowly, the man called him from the distance. "Hey, you!"
Because of the rain, the figure didn't notice the man and was visibly startled by that. He slowly turned his face to the source, revealing himself to be a young man.
"H- Hello, do you need something?" He nervously answered.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the storm? You are not with the others?" The man asked him, closing his distance by a bit.
The young man didn't answer immediately, he looked behind the man's figure seeing a wagon with a woman and a boy in there. He sighed in relief for some reason, his nervousness isn't visible anymore. He looked back to the man with a smile on his face and answered,
"I was just retrieving something here before going back home. As for your second question, no, I'm alone since there isn't much stuff that I want to bring back. How about you?" He swiftly answered the man's question, throwing back the question.
"As you can see, I was about to head to the city with my family." He points his wagon behind him. "Are you from Mondstadt? Where do you live? Do you perhaps need a ride back to your home?"
The young man simply shook his head and says, "Thank you for the offer, but I live nearby. It won't take long for me to get back." He puts something in his coat pocket and stands up. "You should head back as soon as possible, the storm will probably get worse before you arrived at the city. I'm done here, so see you around." The young man started to walk away.
"Wait!" The man stopped him, still standing at the same spot.
The young man simply turns around but his expression was darkened, or probably it was just the man's imagination. They just stare at each other for a few seconds, letting the rain drenches them. The young man blinks slowly before opening his mouth.
"Is there something the matter, sir?"
His voice sound cold and sent a chill down to the man's spine, as he gulped his spit. But the man didn't show that he backed down from his initial intention.
"What was it that you were trying to retrieve here?" Despite knowing this probably, won't end well for him, he persists to do it.
"... It's my stuff, so it's none of your business."
"You aren't the one who has the right to this stall. It was one of my friends."
"..." He didn't answer, as he narrowed his eyes. But then says, "He asked me to do it for him since he has other matters on his hand."Hearing his answer, the man stays quiet.
'This guy clearly planned this beforehand, the fact no one's here and the timing, it's too good to be coincident. His reason here and his quick thinking made a solid argument. If I wasn't on good terms with merchants here, I would have believed him right now. But what is he looking for here? Mora? I don't see anything other than goods here and I also don't think anyone would leave their mora behind… What is it and why now?' The young man stopped his train of thought.
"If you don't have anything to say, then I'm leaving. You better get out of here soon." His last sentence sounds more like a warning than a threat.
"Who are you? What happens to the people?" He keeps pushing to interrogate.
"I'm just his neighbor. And what's your second question supposed to mean?"
"Leaving this place unwatched is a grave mistake, especially as they left their stuff and goods here. I passed here often, so I know how things usually. Where are the merchants?"
"Are you implying that I chase them away? I don't know-"
"You missed my point, I was implying that you scared them or threatened them to leave this place. If you need evidence, as I mentioned before, many of their goods remain here."
"Why would you accuse me like that? Do you think I could and would do it? It could be that they intended to leave them here."
"I expected you will say something like that…" Said the man under his breath. "I'm positive that it was you for 2 reasons. First, the person who owns this stall didn't open his store because his wife was giving birth recently, so it's very unlikely he left anything here. Second, you made a good reason why you were here. If I didn't know how things were, you have me convinced by now. But you're unlucky that I ran into you, someone who knows people around here well, and understands things around here." The man declared.
The young man stayed silent, despite his neutral expression, he look at the man with a cold gaze. From his perspective, the man's brimming with confidence right now. 'Maybe I made a blunder…' thought the young man. Without saying anything, he sighs.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
The young man clapped his hands, which made the man confused. "You got me. I gotta admit you're quite clever than you look. But you're wrong on something."
"What?"
"That I threatened the people here. I didn't do it."
"You're telling me you draw monsters to this place?"
"Close, but monsters aren't easy to manipulate, you know that right?"
The man took his time to think for a while, then finally managed to get to the conclusion. He gasped and widened his eyes, realizing someone- no, some people show up from the young man's back direction. There are many of them, dozen of them, and they brought a weapon in their hand. As he looks at the young man's face, he feels a chill down his spine for the second time.
"I warned you, didn't I? To leave this place as soon as possible." A bunch of people starts to stand behind him. "Now it comes down to this, you leave me no choice." He walks toward the man.
The man instinctively takes a step back, trying to run away before he gets any closer. But as he was about to turn his back, the young man dashed toward him and hit him with his left palm, then pinned him down with a sword materialized out of thin air in his right hand. His right hand is held by the young man's left hand and his left hand is being stepped on. Struggling to escape, his strength couldn't fight against the young man's.
"Guh!" The man grunts.
"Stop that, conserve your energy because there's something I want to talk about with you." He closes his sword toward the man's throat and continues, "Bring them here!"
Coming from the opposite direction, two guys walk toward them while holding the woman and his son with their hands. Noticing the danger to his family, the man started to panic as fear and regret started to fill in, but it was too late for that.
"Mmm!" The woman tried to speak, but her mouth was covered by a hand. The boy on other hand was too afraid to move or do anything while being held hostage, a cold sweat dripping from his head.
"Maria! Morgan!" The man shouted their names. "Damn you, let go of me!" He keeps trying to escape the young man's grip.
The young man scoffed, "Not so confident now, are you? Can't you see the situation you are in right now?"
The storm gets even worse than before. Thunderstorms can be heard from above, together with a strong breeze and the rain is heavier. In this weather, the man's mind is filled with nothing but anxiety. Will he and his family die here? Is this the end? He can't help but think so. A patrol from the knight will not pass here, knowing the current weather. The chance of a knight or somebody passing this gorge is close to zero.
"Now, let's have a nice and comfy talk, shall we?" He dragged the man close to the wall and ordered the two guys to follow him. "I'll give you an opportunity for your bravery."
"But sir, your brother-"
"Shut your mouth! I'll do this in my own way, all you have to do is follow my lead." He glared at his underling who was speaking.
As he said, the air temperature drops drastically, and a light blue glow can be seen on his right hand. The sword in his hand also glows in light blue, indicating it's infused with cryo element.
'A vision user?!' The man is surprised by the fact he encounters a vision user.
"Now where were we again?" The young man puts a smirk on his face. "Ah, right. I got a couple of questions for you. I want you to answer them honestly."
The man swallows his spit, "Wha- What is it?"
"Wise choice. But before that, let me introduce myself. My name is Kyle, I'm a treasure hoarder, and these people are my underlings. What about you, strange yet kind stranger?"
"... Seth." He said nothing more than that.
"Hmm… Alright then." Kyle pulled away his sword from Seth's neck and walk away from him a few steps, then turned back spreading his arms, and said, "Question time!"
"First question, why are you here? Answer this question as simply as possible or I will cut your wife's neck." He points his sword toward Maria.
"Mmmh!" She whimpers.
"Wait! Please… Don't hurt her!" He begs as he takes a step closer without alerting them. "People from Dawn Winery ordered some ingredients for their wine. We were delivering goods that their owner ordered from the city, my wife and son tagging along."
"Hmm… Alright, good enough." Kyle didn't ask any further and decided you continue. "Now, for the second question. Do you happen to be close to the knight or the adventurer?" The second question is more likely what he wanted to ask him to begin with, judging his serious expression.
"What?" The question confused Seth.
"The Knight of Favonius and the Adventurers Guild, there's no way you don't know about them"
'The Knight of Favonius and the Adventurers Guild, he said? What are they up to? Don't think too much about it. First thing first, I have to get me and my family get out of this situation. I'm sorry…'
"No, I don't. I'm just a merchant, if somehow I have any relations with the knights or adventurers, there's nothing more than a formal relationship."
Kyle stays quiet, he just stares at him. That makes the family nervous, they're not sure what's in his mind. Then he closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "Fair enough. Let both of them go."
Maria and Morgan gasped and ran toward Seth as soon as they released them. He hugged them and ask if they were hurt, and they finally sighed in relief none of them are harmed. Meanwhile, Kyle and his man watching from the distance, not too far nor too close. His man whispers something to him, but he didn't reply. Instead, he walked toward the three, which makes them cautious.
"Get out of here, now. Before I change my mind."
They just nodded and headed toward their wagon, hoping everything will turn out to be alright. The storm's still going, but it subsides a little bit more than before. As the three hopped on the wagon, Seth signals his horse to move. They passed all the Treasure Hoarders and their leader there without making eye contact with any of them, afraid that they could accidentally provoke them. When their wagon's far enough from them, some of the Treasure Hoarders disperse and the rest gather toward their leader, Kyle.
"Did you guys manage to find anything?" He asked.
"Unfortunately, no, Kyle. We already looked to the whole place here and there seems to be no lead at all here about what you and your brother looking for." Reply one of them.
"Is that so? Then how about the valuable stuff here? Have you guys done gathering whatever you find worth to be sold?"
"Oh, of course, boss. There is a lot of valuable stuff here, accumulate all of them would worth so much mora for us, that's for sure!" Said another one to him.
"Finally, we can be rich!"
"Yeah!" Shout all of them in unison while Kyle just smiled.
"But Kyle, are you sure it's okay?" Suddenly one of them asked him and continued, "I mean, you let them go, they might be not involved in this, but they still witnessed our act here."
"Yeah, who knows they probably will report us to the knights after they get back to the city."
All of them looked at Kyle with worried and concerned looks, wondering why did he do that instead of probably threatening and holding them here for a while longer or making them hostages. That way, they would have nothing to worry about anything, everything almost went according to plan. Kyle just turned his back to them and crouched, grabbing a pouch under him.
"They dropped something…." He mumbled.
"Letting them go was our safest option. While they probably will report what happened here to the knights, it will be too late for them because it takes a while to get here from the city. That's plenty of time for us to get away from here. Meanwhile, holding them here any longer will most likely affect their mentality, if someone notices something is wrong with them, the knights will look for us and raise their patrols around here." He continues as he put the pouch on his hip.
"But, whatever we've done here, the knights will look for us no matter what later on, right?"
"Yeah, but that also depends on what option we picked in that situation. Just think of it this way, if we hurt those three, the knights will not only raise their guard here but also look for us with whatever they can because we hurt them. Because they won't stay put knowing the citizen they are supposed to protect were hurt. Different story if we didn't, the knights would care less because robbery is something that often happens."
Hearing their boss's explanation, they finally understand him and are wowed as they look at each other. Until one of them asked another question to him. They thought about how lucky they are to have a smart leader.
"What if we kill-"
"Don't be stupid!" Kyle cut their question in a high and deep voice. "We are treasure hoarders, not a murderer. We do not kill civilians unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Ri- right! I'm sorry, I didn't actually mean that!" He immediately bowed his head.
Which made Kyle kind of disappointed as their leader, because they had been doing this for months now and he applied a rule to not kill anyone if not necessary when he made his group. He doesn't like to dirty his and his men's hands with innocent blood. He and his men, or at least most of them agreed to follow the rules he made. Except for one.
"That's enough talking. Are we ready to leave now?"
"Ah yes, boss. We have done putting all the stuff we stole into the hideout, after we get out of here, we can safely retrieve them anytime."
"Good, we are leaving now." He ordered. His underlings are preparing to leave, but Kyle asked them one more time.
"Wait, where's brother?"
Everyone stopped their steps and looked at each other asking if anyone saw where Kyle's brother went. Kyle looks around him, but he found nothing that indicated his brother is anywhere near. He pondered for a moment and decided to leave the gorge first before anybody, especially the knight, is the least people he wants to encounter. Hoping his brother probably wandering around, making his way to prevent anyone to ruin the plan.
"C- could it be…?!"
Meanwhile…
The dark clouds made the visibility poor, the rain poured down all across Mondstadt, and trees rustled in the strong wind. Amidst the darkness, fire engulfed the middle of the road looking like a giant bonfire, illuminating the surrounding area. The flames burned deep red and amber, even as rain poured down.
"Burn! Burn everything!"
A man standing near it. He watched as the blaze rampaged in front of him, burning it with all its might. Holding a sword in his left hand, it drips liquid. His eyes reflect the blaze, and a grin shows on his face. Then he burst out laughing, he faced the sky as the rain poured on his face. The rain swallows his laugh. But he does not care, he keeps laughing to his heart's content. After a while, he finally stopped. He's now looking down in front of him.
Three people are lying down, with red liquid flowing out of their bodies.
"Ah, this is the best feeling…"
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: So, that was the prologue of this fic, Mondstadt Alter. I hope you like it! This is my first time writing fic in ages, so I won't expect this fic to be perfect or anything. For a prologue, it's a bit too long I gotta admit. Maybe I put too many words in here. Feel free to comment what you think about this fic, I appreciate any input to make this fic became better. Thank you for reading!
